The Salamence of choice is no longer bound to use physical attacks (yes, that's a pun on Choice Band). Salamence's oft-overlooked 110 base Special Attack now has the 140 base power Draco Meteor to work with. Since only Steel-type Pokémon resist Dragon Attacks, Flamethrower (for Skarmory, Metagross, etc.) and Hydro Pump (for Heatran, Probopass and Bastiodon) hit 99% of the Pokémon in the game with at least a 2HKO. That, in part, is why you see two direct-damage-dealing attacks of the same type and category (in this case, special) on the same Pokémon—in practice you should be using Draco Meteor primarily, in the early and middle stages of battle, then Dragon Pulse to sweep up at the end, predicting the above otherwise "trouble Pokémon" accordingly. The more detailed and somewhat more complicated reason touches upon that notion of "trouble Pokémon" as far as SpecsMence and Choice-Pokémon in general are concerned, and it is one I will elucidate in depth as the concept is still confusing to even experienced battlers. The reason you don't see Hidden Power Grass or Hidden Power Electric, for Swampert and Gyarados respectively, as options is because of one simple rule about Choice-Pokémon—they're all about prediction, on the part of both the user and his or her opponent. If you are locked into a particular attack, either the Pokémon that switched into you is badly hurt or "you used the wrong attack"; it's as simple as that. Then, for the next turn, you know you're locked into that attack and your opponent probably does as well, depending on how much damage you did to his or her Pokémon. I hope that is clear enough, as, again, the moveset itself isn't exactly as intuitive as it may seem to some people. Hidden Power Ground may prove to be a viable option over Hydro Pump, as it is 4× effective on the three pokémon listed above who shrug off Dragon and Fire attacks and 2HKOs a predicted Empoleon as well. I feel that locking yourself into a Ground attack is very risky in DP though, given how large the threat posed by Flying-type or Levitating Pokémon like Gyarados, Azelf and, yes, Salamence is. If you're set on using a Ground attack over Hydro Pump, though, go with HP Ground, as with the given EVs and nature it outdamages Earthquake in every situation that calls for a Ground attack, even against a Calm Empoleon.
The old Advance standard, with the now-physical Dragon Claw replacing the now-special Hidden Power Flying. If you don't care about Skarmory, you can use Brick Break for Tyranitar and Normal-Type Pokémon like Blissey and Snorlax over Flamethrower (which is recommended over Fire Blast since the latter still won't OHKO Skarmory, just like in Advance). Stone Edge vs. Rock Slide is a toss-up—however Salamence is definitely fast enough to benefit from the possible flinches of the latter while definitely enjoying the better accuracy (80% vs. 90%). You can run Aerial Ace if you really hate Heracross, but a 405 Attack Choice Band Dragon Claw does 86-101% to the standard 327HP/186Def CB Heracross, which will likely be enough damage even if it was brave/silly enough to switch/stay in given it doesn't resist any form of indirect damage (Stealth Rock, Sandstorm, etc.). The 100 Base Power Dragon Rush may be appetizing, but its 75% accuracy sure isn't. The reason CB Mence may actually be scarier than it was in Advance, besides the clear upgrade in sheer power, is that people your opponent may very well be expecting the more-popular SpecsMence variant. For some perspective, the same 405 Attack Choice Band Dragon Claw will do 58-68% to a 688HP/130Def Bold Blissey that switches in expecting a Modest Draco Meteor, and she will take 73-86% from a 405 Attack Choice Band Brick Break.
The late-game sweeping threat that Dragon Dance Salamence posed in Advance when played properly is magnified in DP. The magic 264 speed number does not apply nearly as much as it did in Advance, so the 136 Speed EVs give you 270 speed, which will be enough to outspeed Adamant, 269 Speed (max) Choice Band Heracross straight up, and, after a DD, the same 269 Heracross should it be equipped with a Choice Scarf. I would lean more towards Rock Slide on DDMence considering both that you have a way to raise your power in Dragon Dance, which places less of an emphasis on the added power and CH rate of the less accurate Stone Edge, and that you have a much better chance of both hitting and flinching with Rock Slide if you indeed have to use it to hit Pokémon like Zapdos that you're not sure Dragon Claw will KO after a DD. With Life Orb, though, 405 Attack Salamence will do 81-96% to a 384HP/216Def (max/min) Zapdos with Dragon Claw after that DD, and many will not be quite that defensive so you may be free to Dragon Claw them instead of risking your Rock attack missing. Depending on how popular Skarmory is at the time, you can replace that Rock attack with Flamethrower or Fire Blast. While the safer route would be to use Leftovers and Flamethrower, it's worth noting that you will do minimum 87.72% to the standard 334HP/176SpD Skarmory with a Life Orb Fire Blast from 232SpA, which is serendipitously just barely enough to always OHKO Skarmory if it is switching into Stealth Rock and has Shed Shell instead of Leftovers (it will have 87.5% of its HP, max). So as far as Skarmory is concerned, it's up to you to decide how much survivability you want for your DDMence (Life Orb) and whether or not you can stand missing occasionally (Fire Blast). You will need both to 2HKO Bronzong, though. The subtly beautiful thing about this set in DP is that, like with SpecsMence above, nothing resists Dragon Attacks but Steel-type Pokémon, and the above pokémon that made Earthquake an option on 275 Attack, Modest SpecsMence over Hydro Pump all die horribly to an Adamant, 405 Attack one, including Empoleon. Further, if you think Blissey dropped her egg when she switched into CBMence expecting SpecsMence, think of how scared she and her teammates will be by the prospect of two Dragon Dances, Life Orb and more speed than any Choice Scarf user if Blissey switches out and doesn't Ice Beam, letting Salamence get that second DD. Of course, if Blissey stays in to Ice Beam, it's facing the possibility of taking 75-89% damage from a once-Dragon Danced, Life Orb Dragon Claw from 405 Attack Salamence.
Life Orb was almost made for a Mixed Salamence. The first three moves hit everything hard, and Dragon Claw is Salamence's most reliable physical attack. Crunch will help to break walls like Cresselia and Dusknoir. 270 Speed again to prevent CB Heracross from spoiling your fun, and a Mild (+SpA, -Def) or Rash (+SpA, -SpD) nature ensure you'll get more mileage out of Fire Blast. Earthquake as the "filler" would really only be for Empoleon, as other Steel-type Pokémon on which Earthquake hits for the most damage from a non-Fire-type attack, like Metagross and Jirachi, almost always have much higher Defense than Special Defense. Using Draco Meteor is preferable to having Rock Slide or Stone Edge on this set, since every Flying-type you'd want to use a Rock attack on will take more damage from a Draco Meteor whose accuracy ties that of the always-dubious Rock Slide but is still 50% more powerful after accounting for type-effectiveness. For those who worry about Fire Blast's accuracy, Flamethrower is a less powerful, but more reliable option. Roost allows Salamence to recover health, and helps compensate for Life Orb recoil. Other OptionsYou can put a Choice Scarf on virtually any Pokémon in the game and pose the threat of a surprise, but if you want to do it for Salamence put it on the DDMence set and replace Dragon Dance with Brick Break or Fire Fang (the latter instead of Fire Blast for its flinching capabilities). If you don't mind the considerable drop in power, Timid can work instead of Modest on SpecsMence to surprise certain Pokémon like enemy SpecsMence, some Garchomp (Chain Chomp) and other Pokémon that may be between 299 and 328 speed like Lucario, Electivire and Celebi, but you must be sure the Pokémon you're trying to beat is not carrying a Choice Scarf that would put its speed over 329 before you stay in on it (and even then your assumption of Garchomp's Speed could be wrong). Yache Berry (Ice resist) is a viable option on the DDer, but Dragonite and Garchomp make better use of it with their superior defenses. Crunch hits Cresselia and Dusknoir harder than Dragon Claw on the CB set if you're interested in that. Wish and Protect can go with Leftovers on a more defensively EVed, support Salamence, but there are better Wishers that don't take as much damage from Stealth Rock. Why Not To Use Hidden Power On SpecsMenceWith regard to Swampert and Gyarados, which are both likely to be OHKOed by a full-power Draco Meteor, the respective 4× effective Hidden Powers are not worth it. If you're locked into Hidden Power Grass or Hidden Power Electric, Swampert and Gyarados are either fainted, just as they would be by the strength of a full-power Draco Meteor, or they are respectively not going to be coming in anyway, since your opponent would know you have a Hidden Power and likely know what type it is too. Rather, an enemy SpecsMence (Hidden Power Grass) or a Garchomp (Hidden Power Electric) would have a great opportunity to get in. Whereas with even a weakened, -2 SpA Draco Meteor, you pose a decent threat to Pokémon who are slower than you, since you are still attacking with a STABbed 140 Base Power move from 262 Special Attack. And since the proposed Hidden Power would likely replace Dragon Pulse, it would not matter even in that regard since if Swampert or Gyarados switch into Dragon Pulse and stay in, they will be 2HKOed. If Hidden Power were in that slot instead, the scenario would be much like it is above—they would never come in if you're already locked into the Hidden Power they dislike. EVsYou should always be at either 270 Speed or 299 Speed, with either Attack or Special Attack at 252 EVs and the rest in Salamence's respectable 95 base HP. The 328 Speed a Jolly or Naive nature offers will probably still not be fast enough to offset the drop in power in the long run. OpinionIn a way, Salamence is the biggest threat in DP since it can hit very hard from both ends of the damage spectrum without needing to set up. There is literally no one counter to Salamence until you know its moveset. Its versatility makes it a fantastic early-, mid- and late-game Pokémon as well, which is not something you can say about a lot of Pokémon. If you use it wisely, Salamence should win you a lot of battles. You will have to account for both Stealth Rock and Sand Stream, however, or non-Leftovers Salamence will take a minimum 25% (Stealth Rock) + 6.25% (Sand Stream) + 6.25% (Sand Stream) = 37.5% damage every time it switches in and attacks, and this is assuming it is untouched by your opponent's Pokémon. You should also remember that Draco Meteor only has 8 max PP, but this should be more than enough assuming your opponent isn't using a bunch of Pokémon with Pressure. Pair Salamence with Rapid Spin Donphan or Starmie to keep Stealth Rock off the field, and Wish will prolong Salamence's lifespan. Assuming you're playing on Wi-Fi where Pokémon availability is an issue compared to Competitor, getting your hands on a Wish Jirachi will greatly benefit you, as Salamence and Jirachi literally cover each other's weaknesses perfectly. Salamence is weak to Ice, Rock and Dragon attacks, all of which Jirachi covers, and Jirachi is weak to Ground and Fire and takes neutral damage from Fighting and Bug, all of which Salamence covers. CountersBlissey and Empoleon counter SpecsMence versions (the latter if Calm and properly EVed), and a Calm Cresselia can shrug off SpecsMence's attacks well provided there's no Sandstorm. A Careful Registeel with Ice Punch can handle SpecsMence in a pinch as well, even in spite of the weakness to Fire. Bronzong is a nice initial switch into any Salamence, but it should be Sassy (+SpD, -Spe) with a lot of HP and SpD EVs to maximize the power of Gyro Ball and not drop the power of Explosion as well. Gliscor with Ice Fang and Roost can come in on all but the Draco Meteor variants, and an Impish, defensively EVed Rhyperior will sponge physical attacks nicely. Hippowdon makes a great counter to any physical variant as well. Ice Shard Donphan/Mamoswine/Weavile can come in if Salamence faints a Pokémon and ward it off 100% of the time, but the only one of those three that can actually switch into Salamence is Donphan, and that's only on the physical variants, preferably the DD ones. Scarf Garchomp can function similarly if Salamence has one DD or less. Gyarados with Ice Fang can switch into physical variants thanks to Intimidate, but it should be very bulkily EVed. Weezing can come in on physical variants and use Will-O-Wisp and/or Pain Split accordingly. Dragon Pulse Heatran can handle SpecsMence to some degree, but you will need a large HP/SpD EV investment. Stone Edge Cradily would function similarly provided you max its HP and SpD and use it in a Sand Stream to boost its Special Defense. Suicune got a little worse at handling CBMence compared to Advance thanks to the now-physical Dragon Claw, and it is nearly OHKOed by Draco Meteor, but can still switch in sometimes. And while Milotic handles special attacks slightly better than Suicune does, it is no longer a decent Salamence counter since a CBed Dragon Claw is a 2HKO half the time. |
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